How to Improve Creativity Through Diet
Surround your brain with a healthy body., Provide a steady supply of glucose with smart carb choices., Increase your DHA intake., Try other brain-boosters.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Surround your brain with a healthy body.
Your brain is the source of your creativity, and it does not exist in isolation from the rest of your body.
If you improve your overall health by making good food choices, you will improve your brain health, and in turn your brain function, and in turn your creative capacity.
It’s as simple as that.
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans was recently released online at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/, and it is a good starting point for making healthier food choices.
It emphasizes shifting your current “eating pattern,” and offers specific target food choices based on age, sex, and activity level, as well as sample U.S.-style, Mediterranean-style, and vegetarian-style eating patterns for inspiration.
The general recommendations include:
Eating more vegetables and whole fruits, and choosing from a range of colors and varieties.
Making whole grains at least fifty percent of your grain intake.
Focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense dairy products, like low-fat yogurt.
Choosing nutrient-dense, lean proteins, like fish, poultry, eggs, legumes, soy, and nuts.
Cutting back on your intake of added sugars, saturated fat, processed meats, and sodium. -
Step 2: Provide a steady supply of glucose with smart carb choices.
It turns out that there is a valid reason why it is hard to think clearly on an empty stomach.
Most of the food we consume is converted to glucose, which is essentially the fuel for our bodies, including our brains.
Maintaining a steady, sufficient supply of glucose gives your brain the energy it needs to be at its creative best.Simple carbohydrates, like those found in sugary drinks and refined grains like white bread and pasta, will give a quick spike in glucose levels, but this quickly dissipates into a crash.
This up-and-down pattern is not conducive to sustained, focused brain activity.
Alternatively, eating more frequent, smaller meals and snacks consisting of fruits and vegetables and other foods with complex carbohydrates will give you a steady supply of glucose without the spikes and crashes.
Choose foods like almonds, whole wheat, oatmeal, lentils, and beans., By this point, you have probably heard about the many health benefits of consuming foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, as found in seafood and a range of other sources.
DHA is a particularly beneficial component of the omega-3 group when it comes to brain health.
DHA can help strengthen your brain’s electrical transmissions, which are essential to all functions, including the production of dopamine — which in turn spurs your cognitive control and creativity.Many types of fish and other seafood like squid contain high levels of DHA.
You can also consider fish oil supplements or edible algae, seaweed, or kelp.
Other omega-3 rich foods like walnuts and flaxseeds do not contain DHA, but are good for your overall health (including brain health) regardless.
See this LifeGuide Hub article on omega-3 foods for more information. , In addition to increasing your omega-3 intake and reducing your saturated fat intake, which are healthy choices for your entire body and have brain benefits as well, you can try increasing your consumption of other compounds and nutrients that seem to help the brain.
While they can’t specifically claim to boost creativity, they, like other healthy body / brain food choices, should help create conditions more conducive to creative thought.The antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables (especially colorful ones like peppers and berries) offer many health benefits, including improving your memory and mood.
Green tea contains the antioxidant known as polyphenol, which helps to eliminate the free radicals in your body that can destroy brain cells.
While excess alcohol consumption can destroy brain cells, drinking 1-2 glasses of red wine per day provides you with the flavonoid called resveratrol, which boosts blood flow to the brain and may even reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. -
Step 3: Increase your DHA intake.
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Step 4: Try other brain-boosters.
Detailed Guide
Your brain is the source of your creativity, and it does not exist in isolation from the rest of your body.
If you improve your overall health by making good food choices, you will improve your brain health, and in turn your brain function, and in turn your creative capacity.
It’s as simple as that.
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans was recently released online at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/, and it is a good starting point for making healthier food choices.
It emphasizes shifting your current “eating pattern,” and offers specific target food choices based on age, sex, and activity level, as well as sample U.S.-style, Mediterranean-style, and vegetarian-style eating patterns for inspiration.
The general recommendations include:
Eating more vegetables and whole fruits, and choosing from a range of colors and varieties.
Making whole grains at least fifty percent of your grain intake.
Focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense dairy products, like low-fat yogurt.
Choosing nutrient-dense, lean proteins, like fish, poultry, eggs, legumes, soy, and nuts.
Cutting back on your intake of added sugars, saturated fat, processed meats, and sodium.
It turns out that there is a valid reason why it is hard to think clearly on an empty stomach.
Most of the food we consume is converted to glucose, which is essentially the fuel for our bodies, including our brains.
Maintaining a steady, sufficient supply of glucose gives your brain the energy it needs to be at its creative best.Simple carbohydrates, like those found in sugary drinks and refined grains like white bread and pasta, will give a quick spike in glucose levels, but this quickly dissipates into a crash.
This up-and-down pattern is not conducive to sustained, focused brain activity.
Alternatively, eating more frequent, smaller meals and snacks consisting of fruits and vegetables and other foods with complex carbohydrates will give you a steady supply of glucose without the spikes and crashes.
Choose foods like almonds, whole wheat, oatmeal, lentils, and beans., By this point, you have probably heard about the many health benefits of consuming foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, as found in seafood and a range of other sources.
DHA is a particularly beneficial component of the omega-3 group when it comes to brain health.
DHA can help strengthen your brain’s electrical transmissions, which are essential to all functions, including the production of dopamine — which in turn spurs your cognitive control and creativity.Many types of fish and other seafood like squid contain high levels of DHA.
You can also consider fish oil supplements or edible algae, seaweed, or kelp.
Other omega-3 rich foods like walnuts and flaxseeds do not contain DHA, but are good for your overall health (including brain health) regardless.
See this LifeGuide Hub article on omega-3 foods for more information. , In addition to increasing your omega-3 intake and reducing your saturated fat intake, which are healthy choices for your entire body and have brain benefits as well, you can try increasing your consumption of other compounds and nutrients that seem to help the brain.
While they can’t specifically claim to boost creativity, they, like other healthy body / brain food choices, should help create conditions more conducive to creative thought.The antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables (especially colorful ones like peppers and berries) offer many health benefits, including improving your memory and mood.
Green tea contains the antioxidant known as polyphenol, which helps to eliminate the free radicals in your body that can destroy brain cells.
While excess alcohol consumption can destroy brain cells, drinking 1-2 glasses of red wine per day provides you with the flavonoid called resveratrol, which boosts blood flow to the brain and may even reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
About the Author
Samantha Collins
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.
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